ccombs
Valuable Member
Although newer to the hobby, one of my main goals since day 1 has been to create a tank where the inhabitants help the tank and do work on the tank for me. Think of it like a diamond watchman goby paying 'rent' by cleaning my sand lol.
I see a lot of even newer reefers ask 'how many fish can I have in my tank.' I am writing this post to hopefully give a simple answer to what is actually kind of a complex question.
When I first got into the hobby, I found the one inch of fish to one gallon of water rule, which I think is a terrible rule, for the record. So, then how can one actually know when they are overstocked? See my thoughts below and feel free to chime in! I am looking to help reefers that are even newer than me!
Overstocking can happen in a variety of forms. Many just look at actual space for fish, or how much waste they produce, but it is actually a bit more complicated than that. Let's say you have a 50 gallon tank and the LFS store says you can have 7 fish in there. I would argue that if you went out and bought 7 sand sifting fish, you would be overstocked. Heck, at that size you would probably be overstocked at just 5 sand sifting fish. This case of overstocking has nothing to do with waste created or space for fish. This case of overstocking has everything to do with space being used efficiently. A better solution would be 1 or 2 fish that hang out on the sand, maybe a couple that perch on the rocks most of the day. At that point you can look at available swimming space and make a decision on what fish can inhabit that area of the tank.
In this same situation, if you went out and purchased 7 active swimmers, you could still be guilty of overstocking, simply due to not looking at how space is most effectively used.
My first theory on stocking is this- let your aquascape dictate what fish you can have. If you have tons of open room, get fish that are active swimmers. If you have a ton of rock work and limited open water, maybe look for more peaceful swimmers or rock/sand dwelling fish.
Alternatively, build a desired stock list before you build your tank, then try to create an aquascape that caters to the fish you want.
The other half to my stocking coin is in regards to waste. Think of your tank in the sense of netting either a gain or loss. Everything you put in your tank needs to be exported some how. With nutrients that might be dosed, they either need to be absorbed and used by the inhabitants, or taken out through filtration. This idea applies to food and the inhabitants themselves. Anything you put in creates waste, and that waste needs to be removed so you do not contaminate your tank.
The effectiveness of your export will also play into what you can stock in your system. If you have a healthy population of beneficial bacteria and an established nitrogen cycle, along with mechanical systems like skimmers, etc. You will be able to more successfully stock your tank. The addition of mechanical units might actually allow you to stock more than someone who doesn't have mechanical means of exporting waste. Just know that these mechanics can fail or work less effectively over time. This being said, I try to stock my tank with what my bacteria population can support. Trying to stock your tank at the limit of what you can do is just asking for disaster if any of your export methods fail.
Finally, use common sense when looking at the size and routines of the fish. If you do not have a sand bed, don't buy a fish that wants to burrow. If you don't have good hiding places, don't buy a species that likes to hide during the day.
Think about the wellbeing of the creature, always keep that your first priority, and you are on your way to a successful tank!
I see a lot of even newer reefers ask 'how many fish can I have in my tank.' I am writing this post to hopefully give a simple answer to what is actually kind of a complex question.
When I first got into the hobby, I found the one inch of fish to one gallon of water rule, which I think is a terrible rule, for the record. So, then how can one actually know when they are overstocked? See my thoughts below and feel free to chime in! I am looking to help reefers that are even newer than me!
Overstocking can happen in a variety of forms. Many just look at actual space for fish, or how much waste they produce, but it is actually a bit more complicated than that. Let's say you have a 50 gallon tank and the LFS store says you can have 7 fish in there. I would argue that if you went out and bought 7 sand sifting fish, you would be overstocked. Heck, at that size you would probably be overstocked at just 5 sand sifting fish. This case of overstocking has nothing to do with waste created or space for fish. This case of overstocking has everything to do with space being used efficiently. A better solution would be 1 or 2 fish that hang out on the sand, maybe a couple that perch on the rocks most of the day. At that point you can look at available swimming space and make a decision on what fish can inhabit that area of the tank.
In this same situation, if you went out and purchased 7 active swimmers, you could still be guilty of overstocking, simply due to not looking at how space is most effectively used.
My first theory on stocking is this- let your aquascape dictate what fish you can have. If you have tons of open room, get fish that are active swimmers. If you have a ton of rock work and limited open water, maybe look for more peaceful swimmers or rock/sand dwelling fish.
Alternatively, build a desired stock list before you build your tank, then try to create an aquascape that caters to the fish you want.
The other half to my stocking coin is in regards to waste. Think of your tank in the sense of netting either a gain or loss. Everything you put in your tank needs to be exported some how. With nutrients that might be dosed, they either need to be absorbed and used by the inhabitants, or taken out through filtration. This idea applies to food and the inhabitants themselves. Anything you put in creates waste, and that waste needs to be removed so you do not contaminate your tank.
The effectiveness of your export will also play into what you can stock in your system. If you have a healthy population of beneficial bacteria and an established nitrogen cycle, along with mechanical systems like skimmers, etc. You will be able to more successfully stock your tank. The addition of mechanical units might actually allow you to stock more than someone who doesn't have mechanical means of exporting waste. Just know that these mechanics can fail or work less effectively over time. This being said, I try to stock my tank with what my bacteria population can support. Trying to stock your tank at the limit of what you can do is just asking for disaster if any of your export methods fail.
Finally, use common sense when looking at the size and routines of the fish. If you do not have a sand bed, don't buy a fish that wants to burrow. If you don't have good hiding places, don't buy a species that likes to hide during the day.
Think about the wellbeing of the creature, always keep that your first priority, and you are on your way to a successful tank!
